OTTAWA — The theft of telecommunications cables containing copper, far from being a “victimless” crime, should be treated as a serious offence punishable in some cases with a life jail term, Telus Inc. is telling the federal government.

“The ramifications can be very serious,” Liz Sauve, a spokesperson for the Vancouver-based telecommunications giant, said Tuesday. “That’s why we’re seeking support from federal government to just look at this and take it seriously.”

Telus, in a brief sent to the House of Commons finance committee in August, said that it spends “tens of millions of dollars” annually to protect its infrastructure from thieves.

Despite those efforts, the thefts continue to plague the industry, with 130 incidents across Canada last year affecting roughly 18,000 residents and costing companies more than $20 million.

The thievery, focusing primarily on copper and aluminum, doesn’t just hurt business productivity, inconvenience residents and lead to higher costs for consumers.

Lives have been put at risk in recent years when entire communities are denied access to emergency 911 access, like the 3,600 Surrey residents who went without landline and wireless services for 14 hours after cables were cut by thieves.

Another 2,000 Telus customers in Aldergrove were unable to make emergency calls for 18 hours when three cables were pilfered.

BC Hydro says thieves risked death or serious injury by cutting down two power poles with chainsaws, in an effort to strip the copper wires, in Surrey in August. This photo shows a similar theft earlier in Surrey.Handout

“Incredibly, drivers heading down Highway 1 escaped harm when thieves cut a heavy 150-metre overhead cable, letting it fall onto the busy highway below,” said the brief to the committee, which has been conducting cross-Canada hearings in advance of the 2017 federal budget, which is due in March.

The submission includes a draft amendment to the Criminal Code stating that anyone who willfully obstructs, damages or destroys critical infrastructure, which in turn “causes actual danger to life,” would be “guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.”

The request echoes an identical plea from the Canadian Electricity Association, which is also arguing for tougher sentences. The CEA notes on its website that thieves typically are charged with theft under $5,000, a relatively minor offence.

Telus said its proposal is linked to the 2017 budget because the protection of telecommunications infrastructure would improve Canada’s economic productivity.

“Giving law enforcement and the Crown the ability to investigate and prosecute these crimes ensures that Canadians remain safe, but also gives Canadians more reliable access to services and communications that are becoming essential to productivity.”

Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd says a Criminal Code amendment on the damaging of critical infrastructure is unnecessary. ‘I think that the existing sections of the Criminal Code adequately cover these threats,’ he said.Handout

Parliament has to send a strong message to thieves who appear to think that cable theft is a “victimless crime where the costs are borne by large utility companies and government,” according to the company.

Telus said that cable thefts were more prevalent on the West Coast prior to 2012, when the B.C. government brought in a new law intended to prevent thieves from selling to scrap metal dealers. Alberta has adopted similar legislation.

Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd said a Criminal Code amendment is unnecessary.

Two offences — theft over $5,000 and criminal negligence causing bodily harm — allow for jail sentences of up to 10 years, he noted.

Criminal negligence causing death, meanwhile, carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“I think that the existing sections of the Criminal Code adequately cover these threats,” he told Postmedia Tuesday.

Metal-snatchers in B.C., however, often get relatively mild sentences.

A man was sentenced to a 40-day jail term last year on a break-and-enter charge in connection with a metal theft at a B.C. Hydro building in Prince George. Michael James White, then 33, received shorter sentences for theft under $5,000, breach of probation and possession of stolen property.

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